Originally published at: https://discgolf.ultiworld.com/2022/02/24/ultiworld-disc-golf-mpo-power-rankings-2022-preseason/
Welcome one, welcome all, to the premiere of the 2022 Ultiworld Disc Golf MPO Power Rankings!
Can you believe it? The 2022 professional disc golf season is upon us, along with the debut of the unified tour under the direction of the Disc Golf Pro Tour. We start things off in Las Vegas where, over four days and three courses, the competitors will show us what they’ve been working on all offseason.
The courses in the desert tend to play fast, skippy, and scorable. Over the past three years, the winner in MPO has averaged 45 strokes under par, so it is absolutely crucial for players to come out hot and keep it going with rounds at least double digits below even. Big distance is key–no surprise on golf courses–but what makes Vegas unique tends to be treacherous basket locations and the need to control where the disc goes after it lands. The fairways and landing zones tend to be a bit faster than some of the other golf courses the tour hits over the duration of the year, so big skips can turn a look at birdie into a layup for bogey pretty quick.
Without further ado, let’s get to it.
Methodology: We combine an algorithmic objective ranking with subjective ballots submitted by UWDG staff. The algorithm uses a standardized scoring model to compare elite events, awards competition, and cash bonuses, and features a decay function that gradually phases out past results. For the preseason ranking, staff considered the following criteria: 1. results from the 2021 Elite Series, Majors, and select European tournaments, 2. Silver Series events, weighted by strength of the field, 3. 2022 preseason events, and 4. statistics, gut feelings, and premonitions heading into the season.
Notes on the Top 10
The ‘recent unweighted’ category, above, includes the last 15 rounds from elite series, cumulative-stroke play tournaments in 2021: USDGC, Music City Open, Green Mountain Championship, MVP Open.
[table id=219 /]
Other Quick Hits
Drew Gibson (#12) had the strongest season of his career in 2021, finishing in the top ten in 12 of the 20 events. Critical to his success was improved putting. Gibson converted C1X putts at an 82% clip in 2021, up from 79% in 2020 and 78% in 2019. A couple percentage points doesn’t seem like much, but with the field as deep and talented as it is now, every stroke saved can be the difference between top ten and missing the top 15. Look for Gibson to rise up the rankings this season.
Linus Carlsson (#14) is the only European player in our top 25. He won seven A-Tiers in 2021. He played in nine events. I don’t think there’s really a need to elaborate on why we’re excited to have him stateside this year. The knock would surely be that he lost, barely, to Niklas Anttila at the 2021 European Championships. Anttila could well crack these rankings with a strong start to his US tour.
Other players in the top 25 who we’ve got our eye on but need to show a little more consistency in their 2022 campaigns in order to crack the top 10 include Ezra Aderhold (#16), Chris Clemons (#19), and Emerson Keith (#23).